Falling into Redemption
by Gray Skyed
Summary: 1x2x1 and 3x4x3 with a little 2x13x2 mixed in as well. Other pairings may be present as well. Heero is the Lord of his own estate, and Duo is his pet, gifted to him by his parents. Heero is to be married soon, as is his familial duty.
1. Chapter 1

I pled my case to Heero, as I had a few times before. I was desperately in love with him, and I believed deep down he was with me, and he knew that. But it could not stop the duties bestoyed on him by society. I was but a lowly pet, gifted to Heero as a child to be his companion, and while it was not uncommon for pets and their owners to become bed partners, they could not be wed, as we were pets, not nobles. Though it was a funny bit of business, as the only difference between pets and humans, were a pair of fluffy ears set atop our head, and sometimes unusual eye characteristics or colors.

"Please, Heero, don't marry her, cast her off and appeal to Quatre to allow us to wed. I think you could pull it off, you are the highest Lord of the lands and Quatre is the King and your very best friend. Not to mention you know Quatre is deeply in love with his own pet and therefore would have his own interests in the legislation." Heero sighed and rubbed gently at his brow. "Duo, we have been over this before, its not possible, it would cause a rebellion and with the country on the verge of a war as it is, its jut not reasonable." I felt my heart sink again, but I determined this time I would see this argument through to the end "But Heero would it hurt to just talk to Quatre about it?" Heero's voice rose then, as I had never heard it before. "Duo, enough is enough. Father always warned me that I spoiled you far too much for a pet, and allowed you too many freedoms. I never listened to him because you always seemed to be such a sensible creature. But now I see he may have been right. I have given you nothing but the best, allowed you things normal pets should never dream of, and given you almost complete freedom, and you now repay me with your constant insolence on this subject. I should think you capable of showing more gratitude!" With that final word he rose from his chair and moved quickly across the room, the door shutting loudly behind him. I stood frozen to my spot, shocked at what he had said.

When I found my sense again, I stumbled from the room, and went to our shared room, the room I should have to give up in a few weeks time when Heero was married. I curled beneath the covers and cried, Heero had never spoken to me like that before. I eventually fell asleep, and awoke only when I felt the covers move and the shifting of the bed. I knew it was Heero and opened my eyes slightly, to try and guage his mood. He didn't appear to be upset so I sat up and threw my arms around him. "I am sorry Heero, I did not mean to behave so badly, I just... I worry that she does not like me." Heero gently kissed my forehead and brushed back a few hairs from my face to tuck them behind my ear. "Give her a chance Duo, I think you will grow to like here and you shall both be good friends." I nodded softly into his chest and clung tightly to him. I felt him tug gently at me and I pulled back, almost instantly I felt his lips gently cover mine. I knew what he was asking, and I would give him everything, plead my case at least one more time, but in a different way.

I woke curled up next to Heero, his arm tossed over me. It was still dark out, so I knew he wouldnt be up for a few more hours. I stared solemnly at his peaceful face, I knew he would marry, it was his duty to marry, and he would never fail in his duty, even if it broke my heart in the process. I could only hope that his new wife, Relena, was not as bad as I believed her to be.


	2. Chapter 2

I got little sleep that night, but I did get the pleasure of watching Heero wake up, his eyes slowly opening, his perfect body stretching from the nights immobility. My breath halted in my throat, no matter how many other sites I had seen, Heero was still the most gorgeous to behold. He kissed me lightly good morning and we both started to get out of bed.

I had a lot of time to think in the dark hours, and I began to accept that this all was happening, even if I despised the idea of it all, it was out of my grasp to alter. Perhaps though, Heero had been right. I had only met Relena but once in my life, and it was just a short introduction, neither of us said more than hello to each other, and stood in the others presence for a short while. But the whole time I could feel this hatred for me resonating from her very being, the looks she gave me where cold and snobbish, and I was left feeling ashamed of my status as a pet. Still, I would try the next time we met, to be warm and polite to her, and hopefully I had been mistaken in her character.

I spaced out a bit over the breakfast table, pondering my future life, I was awakened from my thoughts when Heero cleared his throat. "I am sorry about yelling at you yesterday, Duo, I should not have lost my temper as I did. But that doesn't change what you did and perhaps how you have grown to be. Things are going to change around here with my marriage, and I think perhaps it is time I spent a bit more time properly training you. I have not minded having you behave as an equal to me but it not acceptable to anyone else. I think its time you started behaving closer to your station in life."

My guts clenched at his words, what did he mean? There were many levels of treatment and obedience for pets. Some pets were treated truly as pets, forced to sleep on the floor, eat from bowls, and perform small tasks. Others were treated like servants, doing work about the house, they were to be seen and not heard. The highest I had seen were more of beautiful toys to show off. Once again to be seen and not heard, though they were spoiled. But I dreaded the thought of any of that, I didn't want to be someone's pretty bauble. I was raised like a human, I was allowed to have thoughts and opinions and to speak them aloud. I did help around the house but I was not a servant, and I shared Heero's bed since the day I entered this large estate. I resolved in that moment, to behave better, to not bother Heero or to question him anymore, I did not want to end up like the pets who slept on the floor.

The winding thoughts reminded me of the new sleeping arrangements. Heero's bed I had marked as my own and he had known that. When a pet finds a place to sleep they usually sleep there as long as they are close enough to get to the spot. Still, a pet was not allowed so large a bed as Heero's. Instead Heero had set up a second room for me, nowhere near as lavish as Heero's but nicely furnished, with a bed for one. The mattress had been the same as Heero's, feather stuffed with some cotton on top to keep the feathers from poking through. It felt just like Heero's bed but I despised the thing, it wasn't my bed. I knew once Relena was here though, I would be forced into it. It was a psychologically hard thing for a pet to acknowledge a new sleeping area, as long as our old area still existed. I just wanted to curl up in Heero's bed with him and never leave.

I spent so much time battling with my mind, I didn't realize Heero was standing up from the table. I had barely touched my food but I couldn't handle any eating right now so I quietly followed him from the dining area. All around the castle things were changing, Relena had visited a few times to make here preferences known about draperies and linens and decorations. She seemed to like an awful lot of pink. I wasn't sure how Heero felt about any of it, to own the truth I didn't even know how Heero felt about Relena herself. It was an arranged marriage, set up by his father when Heero was just a boy. Heero always treated Relena with respect and kindness but I couldn't detect if he truly loved her or not, he was hard to read...

Perhaps he did love her, which would explain his angry outburst the day before, here I had been pleading with him to remove the woman he loved to make way for a pet whom he did love but perhaps not truly as a man should love a companion. By the end of the day, I was left feeling lost and confused, and when I collapsed onto the bed with Heero, my mind still played the same thoughts over and over until sleep blissfully swept me away.

I woke up the next morning with the countdown blaring in my head, tomorrow, Heero would wed Relena, and then they would away on their honeymoon, where they would remain for two weeks. When they came back from the honeymoon, the pair would move into Heero's room, at which point I would be forced to sleep alone in my new room. We had not spoken of it but somehow I knew all things between Heero and I would cease, no more kissing, no more cuddling no more making love together. We would be reduced to friendly hugs and perhaps he would be permitted to hold me now and again if I was truly upset over something.

Over the breakfast table that morning, Heero played his hand. "Duo, while I am away on my honey moon with Lady Relena, you will be undergoing special pet training. I have hired a man named Wufei to manage you those two weeks, and I hope to return to a much improved pet. Now, don't fret too much, I will not make you a silent slave but you are going to be learning some manners and most importantly when to hold your tongue. Relena will not be so tolerant of a rebellious pet, you need to learn some control and respect." I flinched at the thought, but nodded slowly all the same, as it was beyond my control, just like everything else in my life these days.

I couldn't decide what to do with my day, half of me wanted to go hide on the roof and sulk over the news that this Wufei would be 'training me' like some sort of feral cat who needed taming. The other half of me knew it was my last day with Heero. Tomorrow morning he would dress in his best clothes, walk out the doors and step into the carriage and out of my grasp, for good.

In the end, I chose to spend my day with Heero, though I may as well have been on the roof. I was scared to talk, scared of what new punishments he would rain down if I tried to express my sorrow to him. I could tell he was tense and nervous, probably over his upcoming wedding, so he said hardly a word to me as well. Dinner was a morose affair, both of us just nibbling our food, barely looking at each other. After cook took the dishes away, we walked down the hall to Heero's bedroom. He paused a moment at the door to my new room, and I thought for a moment he was going to force me to sleep in there. But instead, he shook his head and grabbed my hand, leading me to his bedroom.

I crawled under covers with him, shivering slightly at the cold feeling that resonated from them, and from the cold that was settling into my very soul. He pulled me to him, wrapping me tightly in his arms. I tried to stay awake as long as I could, wanting to savor every last moment I had left, but I slipped into the world of dreams, a world where Heero kissed the top of my head gently and whispered I love you in my ear.

A cruel banging on the door wrenched me from the perfect dreams. A servant's voice softly calling out "M'Lord? Its time to prepare if you do not wish to be late." I felt Heero's arms shift around me and realized he had been holding me all night. A mighty yawn escaped him, and I thought I detected a hint of weariness in his features, but I had little time to ponder why. We rose from the bed, leaving the sheets to be straightened by the servants.

I helped Heero dress, lacing up his garments and putting on all the little bits and bobs that made up the outfits of the nobles. It seemed like torture, making me wrap him up to send him off to become someone else's. I swallowed back the tears, and blinked as fast as I could to flush the moisture from my eyes. As I tied up my last string, his fingers grabbed my own, and he gazed into my eyes, pulling my hand up to his mouth to gently kiss it. His voice was tight as he spoke "Goodbye, Duo." The words had such a finality to them, it sent a chill through my heart.

I found myself immobile as he walked away. I had intended to follow him all the way to the carriage and to follow the carriage to the gates, but my feet refused to listen. I managed to drag myself to the window, just in time to see him climbing into the carriage. The horses surged forward, pulling their harnesses and putting the wheels into motion. I stood there until the carriage vanished on the horizon, and even then I refused to leave. It wasn't until a horse with a rider emerged through the gates that I even pondered moving.

The man dismounted his horse with a grace that few posessed, I gazed down at him in curiosity, his hair was pure black. I have never seen hair so deep, and it was pulled tightly into a ponytail behind his head, I winced at the idea of having my own hair so tight. But a pet's hair was a little different from a human's it was painful for us to cut it, it grew to a certain length then stopped. Mine was longer than most, it was my pride and joy.

A servant came to greet the stranger, and I finally found the will to pull myself away from the window, curiosity pulling inside me to go greet him myself. I walked silently through the double doors to where the man was standing. I didn't want to appear to be a bad pet to this man, I wasn't a bad pet, I just was allowed to use my brain. I waited patiently as he loosened the laces on his riding glove. His voice was stern when he spoke "When a master returns to his dwelling, the first thing he should see is his pet. Whether its in rain, snow, sleet or blazing heat. Your voice should show your happiness at his return, you should never be sour or rude, no matter what has happened. Do you understand me?"

I nodded my head swiftly, showing I had heard him. But a frown covered his face. "Are you a mute? Have you no voice? Your answer should be yes sir, or yes master. Understood?" I began to nod again then quickly covered my mistake. "I... I mean yes... sir" I wasn't willing to call him master, I wasn't a slave. Slavery was illegal, except for the forms of slavery imposed on pets, but those didn't quite count, after all, we were not humans, so we didn't count.

The man moved swiftly into the house, I knew his name already but was not going to speak it without permission. I followed at a leisurely pace and heard his voice call out back to me "Do not doddle and do not drag your feet, keep up but do not walk in front of or directly beside me. Walk beside just slightly behind me. Understood?" I was starting to hate the word. I let out a little sigh and he spun around so quickly I almost didn't see him move. "Your answer should be yes sir, or yes master, understood?" I growled out "Yes, sir". His eyes narrowed "No wonder Heero called for me, you are clearly a spoiled little thing." That struck me to the core, I had set out to be a good pet but instead I had proved to be just the opposite. I was not spoiled, I was good, I would do my best to prove it.

He turned back and continued his walk into the house, the servants removed his packs from the horse to take to his room. I spoke in the kindest voice I could manage. "I am sorry, for my rude behavior. Its just a difficult day, I will try better." He froze then, turning to peer at me wide eyed, he had clearly not expected me to apologize. His face softened and a small smile tried to pull at his lips but he fought it off. His face had been schooled back into his stern expression but his voice was kinder "You are forgiven, but do not do so again, its not becoming of a pet. For now let us both go to our rooms, me to unpack and you to calm your emotions. We will meet in the dining room for lunch at noon exactly." He waited and I realized he wanted me to respond "Uh... right. I mean uhm, yes sir." he let out a low sound of approval "Better, but you don't need all the extra, just a simple yes sir, understood?" Yeah, I hated that word now.

I spent my time curled up on Heero's bed, smelling his lingering scent on the sheets, analyzing the wrinkles he had left behind, the ones the chamber maids had not yet straightened. I laid there far too long, and realized it was probably time for me to head to lunch when I sat up. I came into the dining room, it wasn't a place Heero and I used often, not since the demise of his parents. Most of the time we ate at a small table in the kitchen with cook. Wufei was sitting at the table, tapping his foot impatiently. "I informed you to be in this room at twelve, it is now three minutes past." I noticed the small pocket watch in his hand. "You should always be punctual, its the mark of a well raised pet. Now, go into the kitchen and fetch me my lunch." My jaw dropped, I was not a servant! I clenched my teeth to inform him of such when he held up his finger to stop me.

"I will remind you that you are under my care and training. Heero requested me to make you a presentable pet for his wife, you will be her caretaker as well as his, but he will likely be gone often with the upcoming war. I expect by the time I leave here, that you will be adequately prepared to serve the new mistress of this house." Heero had requested this? To turn me into just another pet who was to be seen and not hear, who was to do his work and look pretty but nothing else? I quickly exited into the kitchen where cook was. We had always been good friends.

She had a platter set out for me, and looked at me with sad eyes. "I am sorry youngin'. I knowin things will be a bit different for you here on outs, but you have always been able to get away with much more than you shoulda. I don't be thinkin Heero wants you to be just like all the other pets, but you gotta learn some manners for the new missus."

I clasped the platter as tight as I could then turned to take it out to Wufei, I placed it a bit loudly in front of him then spun tightly and stood stiff against the wall. He pulled some of the food onto his plate and ate in silence while I stood like a statue, my muscles bunching from anger. When his plate was about halfway gone, and my body was starting to feel the exhaustion, Wufei pulled the chair next to him out. "Why don't you have a seat Duo, now that your little tantrum is subsiding. I am not here to turn you into some mindless creature, so you have no need to be so childish. I am merely here to teach you the proper customs for a pet. There will be many expectations of you from your new mistress, and I simply wish to prepare you to meet those expectations. You will still be allowed to talk and converse, you do have a brain after all, I would not dream of silencing you. But you will learn respect and you will learn a little bit more about the place of pets in this world."

I stood stubbornly for a few more minutes, letting his speech wash over me. Finally the tension left my body and I sat in the seat next to him, picking some food up for my plate and eating quietly while he critiqued me. "I am pleased to see your table manners are well developed. I am also pleased at your ability to properly rationalize and overcome your foolishness." I bristled at the last comment but let it go, I felt I needed to plead my case, to make him understand. "I just, I don't want these to change this way, I loved my life as it was and now its all ruined." He raised a brow at my dramatics "Now, Duo, your life is not ruined, however, you have been born at a disadvantage to the rest of us. I do not personally believe pets to be below us, which is perhaps why my training is so successful, however, the general population believes you are no more important than an ox. Your life is going to change, it will not be as pleasant as it had before, but you will be allowed much more freedoms than most of your kin, so you should be thankful for that. Understood?"

I responded with a soft yes sir. I knew I was lucky, but all I could do right now was curse Heero for showing me heaven then yanking it from my fingers. When we both had finished our meals Wufei leaned back and motioned to the spread on the table. "Tradition dictates that a pet brings out the food, serves it, and then removes the mess when everyone is done. I do not know for certain what Relena will and will not expect of you, I also do not know if she will be keen on allowing you to dine with her. Heero has informed me that she does have a pet of her own, but he has not yet met her pet. You will meet the pet when they return and Relena moves into this residence."

I froze, another pet? I wasn't sure how I felt about that, I didn't want another pet in this house, I was the pet. Would I have to share my now very limited time and attention from Heero with another pet? My hands shook as I reached to pick up the tray. Wufei noticed and I thought he would scold me, instead he stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I let a few tears and sobs escape, not wanting to disappoint him. He released me after a while and wiped the last drops from my face. "It is alright young one, you will see that things are not as horrible as you think they are. It won't be what you had before, but you will grow to appreciate things more, and the people in your life more as well."

Wufei stayed for almost the whole time Heero was gone, only leaving a day before Heero was scheduled to return. I both loved and hated Wufei. The way I loved him was not the same as Heero, but I loathed what he represented in my life, my new position as a true slave to the human race. On his last night with me, I served him his dinner, and sat to dine with him. One of the things I loved about Wufei is that he would carry on intelligent conversations with me, he never treated me like I was beneath him on the intellectual level. I think he enjoyed our conversations as well, and it certainly helped me to grow and mature, to learn and expand my mind. I wasn't looking forward to him leaving, even if it meant Heero would be coming back, because the Heero coming back wouldn't be my Heero, he would be Relena's.

It was nearing the end of summer, when the weather was that perfect temperature and the evenings were better spent out doors. Wufei and I sat on some of the benches in the garden, enjoying the songs of the creatures around us, and the pastel colors of the sunset. It wasn't until the deep shade of blue had taken over the sky that the silence between us was broken. "I leave tomorrow Duo, as you already know. I must say, you certainly surprised me. I thought you would be some childish spoiled little pet who was used to his own way. But you have shown me that you were merely a pet losing grasp of his world, and unable to find his place in a new one, and a little spoiled, no denying that part. I have only met Heero a few times, and have never met his new wife, but I pray they both treat you well, you are bright and caring and strong, I hope you don't lose that."

I had tears in my eyes by the end of his speech, tears for the world I lost, for the new one I was facing, tears because of the friendship I had found in Wufei, and that I would be losing that tomorrow. I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my shoulders and realized Wufei was hugging me. I returned the embrace, trying to shore up some strength for his departure tomorrow morning.


End file.
